Main menu

Post navigation

Summer Feet

When I was little, not little-little, but, tomboy little, 8 or 9 maybe, around this time every year, as soon as it started to get warm enough outside, I’d start going around barefoot. Little by little, short bursts to get the mail, into the backyard (carefully avoiding the deep bed of prickers fallen around the holly trees), across the driveway, ours smooth black asphalt, working up to our dear neighbors ohmygod EXPOSED AGGREGATE the ultimate bane of bare feet. The first liberation of winter white little toes, carpet-soft heretofore be-slippered paws that had been swaddled in socks and winter boots for months. I called it “getting my summer feet”, my 8 year old notion that if I started getting the bottom of my feet prepped in April, by the time June rolled around I’d have leathery indian feet, ready to go in the woods, play kickball on pavement, traverse hot sands, climb seaside and riverdeep rocks, go clamming, and repel splinters and blackberry thorns with ease. Today is the first day it’s been warm enough to go outside barefoot, and as I stepped outside to water our newly transplanted bulbs and yet to sprout seedlings, I thought: Ouch. It’s been YEARS since I’ve let my feet loose from their high-heeled-and-pedicured-city-street-subway-stair-walking duties. YEARS since I had summer feet. And then I thought: YES! The countrification of these feet begin today! Summer feet: 20 years later, now with hot pink nail polish.

I remember many summers spent barefoot on the farm, and mom would try so desperately to make me keep my shoes on at church. When the sun is shining and the grass is green, though, shoes just aren’t that appealing! Thanks for the memory!

Post navigation

I'm a little bird nesting in Brooklyn. I like big dinners with many small pretty plates, making music, having adventures (both local and remote), getting dressed up fancy, and flying back home south for any season.

Feather Your Inbox

Enter your email address and receive notifications of new posts by email.

All pictures on this blog were taken by Susannah Hornsby unless otherwise noted. If you you'd like to share something, please do! But, if you share, be sure to provide a link back to this nest. Thank you!